Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Hunter basically said that the military is a Judeo-Christian institution and therefore should keep gay service-members permanently under threat of being fired. At least Hunter is principled: when you are part of a religiously-based organization, the GOP, and believe that religion should define public institutions, including the military, of course, there needs to be an enforcement of religious moral norms in public service. McCain ducked the question, shamefully. What does it mean to say that the policy is "working"? Unless he unpacks that, his answer is all but meaningless. Romney's response was, unlike McCain's and Hunter's, contemptible. The idea that a war makes a policy of throwing out soldiers more important, rather than less, is nuts. Has he ever heard of a stop-loss order? Tonight, the fathomless cynicism and hollow ambition of this man really penetrated. If this was a contest between Romney and Giuliani, Giuliani won in the end.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.